After over a month of unrest in Yemen, President Ali Abdullah Saleh promised protesters a new constitution and a referendum by year’s end, according to reports.
Speaking on state television, the president promised a new parliamentary system with new electoral laws, reported Reuters.
In February, Saleh said he would step down in 2013, in an apparent bid to appease pro-democracy demonstrators protesting his 32-year rule.
The opposition rejected the president’s reform promises.
The rotating president of the opposition coalition, Yassin Saeed Noman said, “We could have accepted this plan six months ago. The president’s initiative has been overtaken by events and facts on the ground today. The demands on the street go beyond that and are bigger than that,” according to The National.
Mass street protests calling for Saleh’s resignation continued despite the offers of reform.
Speaking on state television, the president promised a new parliamentary system with new electoral laws, reported Reuters.
In February, Saleh said he would step down in 2013, in an apparent bid to appease pro-democracy demonstrators protesting his 32-year rule.
The opposition rejected the president’s reform promises.
The rotating president of the opposition coalition, Yassin Saeed Noman said, “We could have accepted this plan six months ago. The president’s initiative has been overtaken by events and facts on the ground today. The demands on the street go beyond that and are bigger than that,” according to The National.
Mass street protests calling for Saleh’s resignation continued despite the offers of reform.